Natural Help for Crepey Dry Skin

Ah, getting older, isn't it grand?  Just when you face clears up, you look in the mirror in just the right lighting and think " what?????????"  This fall I noticed some crepey wrinkleness in the area of my cheeks below my eye, not right under the eye but below.  Needless to say my vanity kicked in and I wanted to kill those wrinkles... I wanted to accept them because it's part of aging but they didn't seem like they should be THERE of all places... smile lines maybe not there.  The skin seemed to pull and be thin and crepey, it only looked ok right AFTER I put on something moisturizing.  So I googled and I googled.  I came to the conclusion that I was over drying my skin and that skin needs humectants, which I'm not entirely sure oil provides.  Oil does nourish and protect, but humectants hold the water in the skin.  Humectants would be something like honey, glycerin or hyaluronic acid.
This would make sense that the Madre Magic worked better for my mom than the straight almond oil.  It contains honey.  Being in the freakout stage I was in, I bought two new products to add to my winter repertoire.  The Madre Magic and Andalou Naturals, Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream, Age Defying, 
ingredients :
Aloe barbadensis juice*, argania spinosa (argan) and simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oils*, glyceryl stearate, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*†, fruit stem cell and bioactive 8 berry complex*, helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil*, DMAE, glyceryl monolaurate, hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, ubiquinone (CoQ10), bisabolol, tocopherol (vitamin E), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), panthenol (pro vitamin B5), allantoin, cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar) gum*, borago officinalis (borage) and oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oils*, camellia sinensis (white tea) and hibiscus rosa-sinensis extracts*†, phenethyl alcohol, ethylhexylglycerin, agathosma capensis (buchu) oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil*
* Organic
† Fair Trade.

I have been using the this twice a day, oh I love it, my skin is doing so much better and this stuff actually seems to firm and plump.  Sometimes I will use a little glycolic acid cream before I put this on.  This was very soothing.  And the final help is just on my extra crepey area, I use the Madre Magic and my skin has improved more than I thought it would.

One more note for dry skin.  I have traded salt scrubs like the sea salt and baking soda for sugar since salt can pull water out.  So far so good, it never occured to me that sugar could contain glycolic acid!!  So I've been using sugar mixed with my oil on my face.  If you want to amp it up with more exfoilating add some fresh squeezed lemon, a wedge would be enough for one application, I still like to add a drop of oil or two... just cause it's winter.

So there it is, I wanted to share in case anyone else is having similar issues!!

I've also recently bought some Now Foods Vegetable Glycerine, haven't it used it yet! But it will be used it whatever random moisturizer I make next, I'm still trying to perfect my foot oil...

Hair Products ands Tips

Ok as much as I like to save money making beauty products, sometimes, I'm tired of it, I'll admit it, some things really aren't that bad to make, others take longer... like when I was looking up how to make my own hairspray.... too long, no thanks.  I really like this product, as usual I get it off iherb.  They really should pay me for these plugs but my audience isn't that big so oh well....


Andalou Naturals, Hair Spray, Perfect Hold, Sunflower & Citrus,

 

I hadn't used hairspray for a really long time because of the chemicals and sometimes, my hair does need it.  I love this, it smells great, decent ingredients and has great hold if you ask me. Unless you're looking for Aqua Net...;)  I have been using Andalou Naturals, Styling Cream, Sweet Orange & Argan for a long time.  I may try the hair gel next.  All these smell really good, as does the shower gel that I just got not long ago, and the conditioner.  Though I don't think I can afford to keep getting the shampoo or conditioner.  I checked out these ingredients once upon a time and they were ok.

Another hair tip.  Soft water.  We got our old one going again and I hated my hair a whole lot less. ;)  It seems to get cleaner, softer and is easy to comb out.  I noticed a difference in the kids hair too.  If you don't have soft water and hate your hair.. I do believe they sell shower heads that soften your water.  And never under estimate the power of getting your ends trimmed.  I still can't tell you I have found the perfect shampoo, price, ingredients and performance as I struggle with scalp build up issues.  I just have to spend a lot of detailed scrubbing time when I wash.  At this point I use Nature's Gate which is what I consider a lesser evil but not perfect in ingredients, it was it has fragrance but it's phalate free fragrance.  I would rather it be all out NATURAL fragrance.  And speaking of making crap, I DID make some hair serum that I am pleased with actually.

Hair Serum Recipe:

2 tbsp. Aloe vera gel ( the kind you can eat)

1 tbsp. coconut oil

2 tbsp. almond oil

a few drops of peppermint oil and rosemary.

  Shake each time and use sparingly and not too far up towards the roots, you can use on wet or dry hair.  I mix it with my styling cream sometimes too.   AND  I have in the past few days started using some on my face since it's been such a dry winter... so far so good but I am not to the point where I would say forsure put it on your face!!  But it's something you wouldn't need to rinse off your hands and if you have some irritated itchy skin, it works pretty darn well.






My Newest Little Gem

Almond oil.  Hmm, who would've thought.  What led me here?  Looking for all natural hair serums and in my google submersion came out deciding to give almond oil a try.  I like it. I do.  Just a drop for the ends of your hair when it's wet.  I also wanted to stop using petroleum jelly to get my eye makeup off.  I tried it for a while to make sure it didn't irritate my eyes.  And it didn't, not at all.  It even made the skin around my eyes really soft.  So I started using it as a moisturizer on that ocular bone I think is what it is, every night.  One night I did notice I had a couple light red bumps and I thought, blasted oil you always break me out!!  But they were gone by morning and haven't been back and I then I ended up reading about in the oil cleansing method (which can use almond oil the mix) that it can draw impurities out of your skin and you can break out at first.  I also tend to get bumpy and itchy on the sides of my neck around the jawline so I put some oil there, it's not your oily oil, not like EVOO is.  Anyway, that area of skin is much softer and smoother.  Read about all the uses here!! "

Healing Purposes
Since almond oil is high in unsaturated fat, it brings down the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. When applied on the skin, it heals eczema and skin rashes.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/almond-oil-uses.html

   

Face

Original post date 2/12/09
Since I had a specific request for more info on what beauty products I use that are chemical free ( or at least fragrance and paraben free) here comes my list. I suppose I will first say that before purchasing things like soap, toothpaste, moisturizer etc, I check the cosmetic safety database. It's in my FYI section on the blog, and if I can't find the specific product, I search the specific ingredients of the product I'm interested in.

I have not yet tried chemical free or low hazard hair products for myself. ( I'll do a separate post for what I use for the kids)I 'll list in the order I use them. *I do now and I will get on posting what I use. hair color is still not.*

0-2 low hazard,3-6 moderate, 7-10 high hazard

-Dove sensitive skin no fragrance bar, I wash with this and use this to remove my makeup and eye makeup. this used to rate a 2 but I just checked online and it's a 3 now... hmm go figure

-Desert Essence, Organics Body Care, Red Raspberry Body Wash, 8 fl oz (237 ml) this used to be a 2-3 can't remember, no fragrance, parabens etc, does have alpha and beta hydroxy for exfoliation. I use on my shoulders and chest with a loofah too. And every night I use this little round face scrub pad with the facewash, it's at walmart, beside the little face loofah but not the loofah. Clear as mud?? * I currently use

Beauty Without Cruelty, Facial Cleanser, 3% AHA Complex, 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) 

I really like this face wash, my only issue is the benzol alcohol, and I like I saw, I'm about try the oil cleansing method...*

-Vaseline for getting the rest of mascara off. rating? a big fat 0. * it rates a 0 but it's petroleum so I just recently started using almond oil and it is working great, and not irritating and it makes the skin around my eyes really soft.  more on almond oil in another post.*

-Home Health, Blemish Treatment Lotion, 4 fl oz (118 ml) database rating, unknown, I looked up ingredients before buying... I'm guessing 2-3 or better. (it's like clinique clarifying lotion) * I use this stuff like crazy*

-Nature's Way, CamoCare Organics, Under-Eye Therapy, 0.5 fl oz (15 ml) looked these up and this has to be low hazard, not listed when I bought but again I looked up the ingredients. * I use something different now, I will update my latest finds and current products but I keep these on here because it gives variaty in safe options.*

Aubrey Organics, Lumessence, Rejuvenating Eye Creme with Liposomes, I use the nature's way in the am, aubrey's in the pm, rates a 2 I believe. I didn't mean to use two at the same time, I just thought I was running out of my aubrey's faster than I thought.

-Reviva Labs, 10% Glycolic Acid Cream, 1.5 oz if you try just one thing, this would be it, it turns the skin over great and rates a 2 last I checked. you may want to opt for the 5% if you think you could be irritated.  * I no longer use this because i found something I liked a little more, I wouldn't be opposed to trying this again sometime though and kep it on here like I say for more options.*

So that's my night regimen, (although I did list am eye cream, I didn't think it would take this long..) I can tell I'm going to have to do these in parts...everything I've used that I've got off iherb, I've reviewed, you can probably tell which ones are mine. My skin is oily and breakout prone lately (always oily...) so I'm always looked for things to help that skin layers keep turning over. Exfoliation!! Sounds obsessive but my skin breaks out when I get lax on exfoliating... annoying but whatever, I'm used to it buy now, I just thought my breakouts were gone for good there for a while... oh well, hormones keep you young right?? *I do not do a face scrub everyday anymore, more like twice a week, slightly more in the summer.*

I try to basically keep what I buy in the price range of what I was already spending and getting as close to low hazard as possible.

updates*

Long Awaited

MyChelle Dermaceuticals, Replenishing Solar Defense, SPF 30, Step 6, 2.3 fl oz (68 ml) 

One thing over the years I have not be able to find was an spf moisturizer that was natural, that didn't turn my face white, make me breakout or itch.  I had been using Aveeno postively radiant spf 30 until I found this this summer.  And when I quit this and my terminator zit cream... I know I know. bad bad bad.  I quit getting this breakouts that itched me.  I love this stuff, I have not meticulously combed the ingredients but I looked them all over and it looks good to me.  And I love the stuff, no white thick coating and the price is very comparable to the aveeno.  Which then brings me to giving up benzoyl peroxide cream, I don't think I spelled that right but whatever, I have used this stuff for... ever. I'm talking 15+ years, it was my precious and I wasn't going to give it up,  I needed it or else my face would explode with zits.  Or so I thought.  I'm sure it played it's part in my breakouts and itching, I switched to this as well this summer- 

Desert Essence, Blemish Touch Stick, .31 fl oz (9.3 ml) 

and my skin is no worse off as far as breakouts go and no more itchiness.  I have oily breakout prone, sensitive skin.  I am finding, exfloliating excessively and drying the crap out of it just may not be the answer,  I've dialed back on my agressiveness and seem to be better off for it. I still get break outs but things are under control, not overly dry and not irritated, more on that another time.

 

Face

 Original post date 2/24/09

Here are more products that I've found and use. My a.m. regimen is the face wash, the"clarifying lotion" you remember right? My camo eye cream AND this moisturizer, Aubrey Organics, Vegecol with Aloe, Moisturizing Cream, This does well for senstive, breakout prone, rosacea. Rating, 1. It absorbs quickly and my skin does feel firmer when using it as opposed to other moisturizers. I also have beauty without cruelty's oil free moisturizer and I tend to use that more in the summer but I think the Aubrey's does more for my face. One thing I'm stuck on is finding a moisturizer with spf that rates low hazard. I''m currently using aveeno I got last year I don't think it rates very good but I'm using it up before buying something else.

One of my latest finds is this Aubrey Organics, Natural AHA Fruit Acids, Exfoliating Mask with Apricot. Rates a 3. I use this once a week and I think it's helped my skin from breaking out so much. It leaves your skin exfoliated and really soft. I've reviewed the products on these links, you can tell which is one is me probably.

Other stuff I use:

Avalon Organics, Lemon Hand & Body Lotion with Beta Glucan, 12 fl oz RAtes a 3. I think it would've rated lower but the database didn't like that it said other unspecified essential oils.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, Hemp Almond, Pure Castile Soap, 32 fl oz (944 ml) this I use for hand soap, it smells SO good, sweet almond. I get those foaming dispensers so it goes a lot further. Rates a 2.

Jason Natural, Powersmile, All-Natural Whitening CoQ10 Tooth Gel, Peppermint Flavor, 6 oz (170 g) rates a 3, contains Sodium Monofluorophosphate 0.76% (Fluoride)

Aubrey Organics, Men's Stock, Spice Island Face Scrub, 6 fl oz (177 ml) Mitch has used this, a cheaper scrub but I dont like it as well as my Jason brand for me. Rates a 3.

Sometimes it's good to look at the details as to why something is rated what it is. Things I always avoid are Fragrance and parabens. I don't need anymore endocrine disruption than I've already had. (parabens are en. distruptors)

*update:  to save money intially and from what I have read online, I have started, just this week to, to... not wash my face in the morning- insert high pitch scream- this goes against everything I hold right and true.  But it's been two days and things are going ok... I also am preparing to try the oil cleanse method, google it, it will freak you out at first.  I will give more links and info on that soon, hopefully.  My castor and flaxseed oil are in the mail. ;)  I will say, it is nice to scratch off a to -do. off my list in the morning.